The present invention relates to irrigation of the human bladder, and more particularly to a closed system for irrigating the bladder without the risk of infection.
Irrigation of the bladder is frequently necessary following surgery and is sometimes required because of other conditions, such as bleeding following an injury or due to stones or tumors, or in cases of neurogenic bladder or chronic obstruction. After some surgical procedures, irrigation may be necessary for as long as four or five days and the intervals between treatments can be as short as fifteen minutes immediately following the surgery.
In the conventional procedure, a catheter is inserted into the bladder and remains in place in the patient as long as irrigation is needed. The catheter is connected to a drain bag or container between treatments to allow urine to be discharged. When an irrigation treatment is to be given, the catheter is disconnected from the drain bag and a plunger-type syringe is filled with sterile water, or other fluid suitable for irrigation, and connected to the catheter. The bladder is then irrigated by depressing the plunger of the syringe after which the plunger is retracted to withdraw the fluid from the bladder. The catheter is then disconnected from the syringe and reconnected to the drain bag until time for the next treatment. This frequent opening and closing of the system provides many opportunities for infection, especially in situations such as the first 24 hours following some surgical procedures, such as electrosurgery, where the patient is highly susceptible to infection. Opening and closing the system repeatedly at such times frequently results in infection from the many possible sources of infection such as airborne bacteria, bacteria carried on the hands of nurses or other attendants, and other sources. Heavy preventive doses of antibiotics are sometimes given at great expense, even though such measures do not effectively control the situation.